


Not Just Any Gift

by thatluckyrabbit



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Disney - Fandom, Epic Mickey
Genre: Birthday, Brother Feels, Brotherly Affection, Brothers, Family Feels, Gen, Post-Series, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-05
Updated: 2015-09-05
Packaged: 2018-04-19 06:32:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4736018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatluckyrabbit/pseuds/thatluckyrabbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mickey found the perfect gift for his brother's birthday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Just Any Gift

**Author's Note:**

> Just some birthday, family/brotherly fluff/humor to celebrate Oswald's birthday today! <3 I've been wanting to write something with these two since I LOVE brother relationships and these two are just the cutest brothers ever, so I managed to write this today to celebrate Oswald's 88th birthday! :)
> 
> anyway, enjoy! <3 now that I've written for these two and Epic Mickey (this takes place years after the game, if Oswald and his family were to come back from Wasteland and into the real/cartoon world), im definitely bound to write for them and Oswald again, so expect more from me for this fandom soon!

 

"Really, six in the morning, Mick?" Oswald the Lucky Rabbit gave a hearty yawn as he plopped down on the couch besides his younger brother. "You just couldn't wait, could ya?"  
  
Mickey Mouse chuckled lightly, gift bag still in hand. "Well if you're not feeling awake enough yet I can always give this to ya later when you're more awake."  
  
"Oh no, _no_ , it's fine." Oswald was already reaching for his gift. He may have been tired as all heck but he'd never pass up opening a present meant for him. "Sure I'm tired but I'm not _that_ tired."  
  
Mickey rolled his eyes playfully at his older brother, handing him his present. "I knew you'd change your mind. You're just like me when it comes to opening presents." He nudged his brother softly. "Excited, and as you should be!"  
  
"I'm technically in my eighties, Mick," Oswald reminded him with an over exaggerated sigh. "I'm _so_ old, I don't think my heart can take so much excitement!" He placed a hand over his chest, and despite just putting on a show for his brother to humor him (who could resist poking fun at his age? He knew he very well couldn't), he was very much comforted by the steady beat of his still fairly new heart. He'd only had it for a few years now, but it still felt so fragile in his chest. In many ways he had his brother to thank for his heart, for getting him and his entire family back into the cartoon world. That in a lot of ways was the greatest gift of all, and Oswald had told Mickey that on his first birthday they celebrated back home, but his brother still insisted on getting him presents for his birthday every year...  
  
And Oswald figured he couldn't stop him, and besides—who _could_ resist  getting a present on their birthday?  
  
"Oh, well since you put it _that_ way," Mickey pretended to reach for the gift, grinning from ear to ear. "I guess if it's too much to handle, I can always give it to you later..."  
  
"Oh no, I can handle it now," Oswald said with an equally joyful (if not still tired) grin. He was already reaching into the bag for a potential birthday card to open. "I may be old but I'm not _that_ old."  
  
"I don't know about that, Ozzie," Mickey replied, watching eagerly as his brother pulled out the envelope from inside the bag that held the birthday card. "You're in your late eighties, just like you said."  
  
"So are you!" Oswald shoved his brother playfully, envelope in hand. "But I guess since I'm older by a year, that just makes me the more responsible and more mature brother." He started to open the envelope, pulling out what seemed to be a regular card that one would get at any store. On the cover was a picture of a cake and a few words in cursive beside it. _"We've played and we've fought; we've cried and we've laughed; we've frowned and we've smiled,"_ he read out loud, and as cheesy as it was (it was a store bought card, but heck it seemed like something Mickey would say, his brother being the biggest sap after all), it was still pretty touching. He opened the card up, seeing the remaining text of the card, followed by a message written by his brother. He finished reading what the card itself said. _"You are my best friend. Happy Birthday to the World's Greatest Brother."_ He chuckled, shaking his head. "You're such a sap, Mick."  
  
Mickey was still smiling, but his cheeks were quite red (he always got bashful when it came to showing people he cared about just how much he loved and cared about them, his brother very much included in that list... if not more since his brother would tease him about it afterwards). "I figured you'd like the 'worlds greatest brother' part."  
  
"Cause it's true!" Oswald gave Mickey another playful, brotherly nudge to his side. "But you're not so bad yourself, little brother."  
  
"Gee, thanks," the mouse said with a laugh.  
  
Grinning, Oswald moved on to read the hand written message his brother had written in the card. He didn't read it outloud this time, because once he started to, he wasn't able to finish.  
  
 _'To my brother, Oswald. I know we've only known each other for just a few years now, but after everything we went through together, from saving Wasteland, discovering ourselves together while we did so to helping you get reintegrated back into modern society today, I feel like we've grown up together. In a lot of ways we have, just in these last few years since you've come back home, and I couldn't be happier to know my brother is back home where he belongs, and I know Dad would have agreed. I wish he could be here with us to celebrate your special day, but in our hearts he is with us, and he always will be there with us. We're finally together as brothers, as I know he always intended._  
  
 _Many best wishes on your special day!_  
  
 _Much Love from your Bro, Mickey Mouse.'_  
  
The rabbit felt his heart clench at his brother's words. Not painfully, because he definitely wasn't feeling down or upset, but by the strong emotions he felt grip him. He was touched by what his brother had written for him, knowing very well just how true the words were. "Wow, Mick... that was..." _Get it together, Oz. Get it together._ "...sweet, but _oh_ so sappy."  
  
Mickey chuckled at how much Oswald was trying to cover up his emotions. He knew what the gift had in store for him, so he waited patiently for him to open it. "Don't thank me just yet. The gift I got you, by far, is the best gift ever. I know you'll really enjoy it."  
  
"Hm, best gift ever, huh? Conceded much?" Oswald said teasingly, placing the card aside and reaching into the bag for the gift that was wrapped only in some tissue paper. It was rather heavy, and he could tell just by holding it in his hands that it was a picture frame of some type (and he was more curious by what the picture—if there was any, which he guessed there was—in the frame could possibly be of, praying secretly that it wasn't the embarrassing picture of him from last year's Christmas party).   
  
He placed it carefully in his lap and began to tear at the tissue paper. He saw the beautiful golden frame right away, but it wasn't until he started tearing the paper right in the middle that he saw just what the picture was, and at first all was normal until he saw the certain font and signature of someone very close to both of their hearts.  
  
It was a drawing, and a very simple one at that, but it was who was in the picture and who had clearly drawn it that was so touching, practically catching him off guard with the new wave of emotions he felt. The drawing as of him and Mickey, together, with Oswald looking not so impressed with Mickey's usually cheery demeanor as he waved at him. That didn't bother him at all, and a few years ago he _knew_ it would have, but he knew it was clearly conveying the sibling rivalry the two had—mainly from Oswald himself. Either way it was chalked down to a simple 'sibling annoyed at the other, happier sibling' that was happening in the drawing, and Oswald knew that first hand now that he'd gotten to spend a few years now with his brother, who did have some annoying habits here and there (mainly the overly jovial personality). But Mickey was his little brother and he loved him dearly; he really couldn't believe how much he had resented and despised the mouse only years before. Now he couldn't imagine his life without him.  
  
But what really caught his eyes in the drawing was the iconic signature of their creator, Walt Disney, himself, right at the bottom right corner of the drawing. Their creator, their father, had drawn this, and he felt his heart swell immediately and his eyes starting to water, no matter how hard he'd tried to keep the wetness from springing to his eyes earlier from just reading his brother's thoughtful message.   
  
Mickey's eyes thoughtfully stared at the framed drawing. He'd seen it plenty of times since he'd found it, but it still made his heart swell as well. "I only found it recently, and I thought it was the perfect gift to give you. It just goes to show that even Dad thought of his as brothers, that in a lot of ways that was what he always intended for us had you been able to come back home sooner. He always thought about ya, Ozzie, and this just shows that he did. He never talked about you because I know it probably hurt him to be reminded of losing you, but just because he never spoke out loud about you, it doesn't mean he never stopped thinking about you, and—"  
  
Mickey was cut off abruptly by a pair of arms that wrapped themselves around him, pulling him close. He was surprised briefly by the sudden action, but he returned it nonetheless. "Aw, Ozzie... I guess you really liked the gift, huh?"   
  
Oswald held his brother close, feeling a warmth in his steady, beating heart that he couldn't even describe. He was deeply touched by the gift, and knowing that his father had drawn it only decades before (when Oswald thought he'd been abandoned), still obviously thinking about him... It allowed him to come to peace, even more than he already had, knowing his father had still loved him all those years before his passing. "It... it's perfect," the rabbit said softly, pulling away after a moment. He took the time to wipe at his eyes, mentally kicking himself for nearly crying, but he really couldn't help it. "Thank you, Mick, really... I couldn't—"  
  
Mickey held up his hands briefly. "Now before you even go there, and I know you are, just know you deserve this. This is your gift and I'm giving it to you for you to keep. It's just a nice reminder of the life Dad wanted for the both of us. That he loved us both equally, you know?"  
  
"Yeah... I know he did..." Oswald said thoughtfully, running a finger over the spot where Walt's signature was. "It took me a long, long time to know that, to _believe_ that, but I do now... And I have you to thank for that." He took a deep breath, wiping at his eyes again. "Jeez, what am I even doing? All your sentimental, lovey dovey stuff is rubbing off on me!"

"I don't see you complaining about that type of thing with Ortensia," Mickey pointed out with a cheeky grin.  
  
Oswald gave him a look at that. "That's different. You're my brother. Brothers are supposed to tease one another and fight."  
  
"You're not asking for a birthday fight instead, are ya?"  
  
"No, I'm not asking for a fight, Mouse." Oswald rolled his eyes. "I just get embarrassed getting sentimental because it's you—you know, my brother, the nerd with the big ears."  
  
"So nice of you, Oz."  
  
"Oh you get what I mean." Oswald playfully pushed Mickey again. He glanced down at the framed drawing in his lap again. "But this is a really, really nice gift, Mick... so thank you."  
  
Mickey smiled, patting his brother on the back affectionately. "It's no problem." His smiled widened into a full wide grin. "But guess what, the day isn't over yet! It's only just begun! This whole day is about you, so later today I'm taking you and the whole family out for dinner! My treat!"  
  
Oswald leaned back in his spot, framed drawing still in his lap. "As long as my birthday cake is a carrot cake and that there's enough for all the kids to have a slice, I guess you can count me in."   
  



End file.
